Mailchimp Alternative

[Interferon]

We're spending $1000 annually on Mailchimp and it feels like a waste for something so basic. I would love it if IPB added this functionality into the suite. Just make sure it allows email addresses that are unconnected to a forum account.

[Tom S.]

Have you looked at SendGrid? They might be cheaper.

Also, it is possible to set up your suite to send emails using your server. It won’t have the same tracking features though.

[Interferon]

All we need is an option to allow people to remove themselves from the list.

[Jim M]

55 minutes ago, Interferon said:

All we need is an option to allow people to remove themselves from the list.

What particularly are you looking for? The Bulk Mail feature has unsubscribe links in the footer and many of our other emails do as well for setting preferences. A user can even unsubscribe from receiving Bulk Mailings by going to their Notifications:

[Interferon]

@Jim M Is there a quick mailing list signup form that does not require a forum account? Is there a way to add a list of emails that may not necessarily be connected to a forum account? Email lists are the outer reaches of your marketing, so the process has to have the lowest commitment possible on the user's part.

[Jim M]

13 minutes ago, Interferon said:

Is there a quick mailing list signup form that does not require a forum account? Is there a way to add a list of emails that may not necessarily be connected to a forum account?

These features are not currently available. Our Community software Bulk Mailer feature is currently intended for reaching only members. 

I would suggest detailing all the features you wish to request.

[Cyboman]

This is also my problem: too much money wasted for missing revenue as members email lack quality and quality emails requested by unregistered users can't be handled at once.

(A) I can't even afford MailChimp for my database (100.000+ members, many members use temporary emails and they rise up that fast you can't insert new email bans in time). Plus
(B) I have problems with GDPR-conform-Emails (older subscribers, but don't want to discuss this here again) as well as
(C) missing bulk-email-cleanup-options for low quality subscribers, f.e. a "subscription reacception functionality" (you never detect, if all your emails go into spam directly) and
(D) I have problems with delivering emails to Microsoft/outlook/Hotmail, as they don't like my settings though I'm not blacklisted
(E) Users not registered must be served via different lists (more steps, additional contracts handling & costs)
(F) You can't really sort and send via one-stop-email-service for all requirements

THE BULK EMAIL FEATURE REQUIRES AN OVERALL NEW MAKEUP TO SORT OUT LOW QUALITY EMAILS AND SUBSCRIBE NEW HQ-EMAILS FOR DIFFERENT CHANNELS

Requests for avoiding wasted traffic and legal problems:

• Email filter options and automated membergroup promotions/demotions according to "is subscribed to bulk email" / "is not subscribed to bulk email"
   
• More options for the MailChimp Integration (currently there are only 3 options: No / Send only bulk email via MailChimp / Send ALL MAIL to MailChimp). I'd recommend more finegrained options like: 
  # use MailChimp only for "registration / password resets"
  # use MailChimp only for transaction emails according to the notification settings
  # use MailChimp only for account deletion confirmation
  
  It would be great, if we'd have several options, what MailChimp is allowed for and for what not, and select each of them to activate (unselect to deactivate)
   
• Bulk-Cleanup-Options (bulk unsubscribe according to different member status)
  # kick them out (unsubscribe) if not active in the community for xyz time
   
• Have automation functionality to
  # reaccept new email terms and/or
  # ask if members wish to go on receiving bulk emails and auto-unsubscribe if they do nothing in a specified amount of time
   

Requests for integrating more high quality emails:

• Legal integration of unregistered users emails for bulk email, that don't have a community account (as they don't feel to get a complicated nickname+password first)
• Have options for different "newsletters" for both registered and unregistered users, f.e. splitup
  # uncommercial bulk emails
  # commercial bulk emails
  # bulk emails for additional ads by partner sites

Only to name a few suggestions...

This would reduce the costs by far OR help us monetizing a lot more.